Retractable bleacher assemblage



A F. P. uLLoM RETRACTABLE BLEACHER AssEMBLAGE 3 Shee'tS-Sheet 1 Filed latch 1, 1951 F. P. ULLOM RETRACTABLE BLEACHER ASSEMBLAGE April 26, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 1, 1951 United States Patent O RETRACTABLE BLEACHER ASSEMBLAGE Franklin P. Ullom, Berlin, Wis., assignor to Berlin Chapman Company, Berlin, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application March 1, 1951, Serial No. 213,321

8 Claims. (Cl. 20-1.126)

The present invention relates generally to improvements in seating structures, and relates more particularly to improvements in the construction and operation of bleacher seats of the retractile or foldable type especially adapted for use in gymnasiums, auditoriums and the like.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved bleacher seating arrangement which is extremely simple, durable and inexpensive in construction and which is adapted to be readily folded or retracted in a simple manner so as to occupy a minimum amount of space.

Various types of folding bleacher structures have heretofore been proposed for use in gymnasiums, arenas and similar places where it is desirable to conserve floor space at times while utilizing maximum seating capacity at other times. Although some of the folding or telescopic bleacher assemblages heretofore proposed have enjoyed a fair degree of commercial success, considerable difficulty has been encountered in providing unitary structures which are sufficiently sturdy and durable to accommodate the great weights to which they are subjected when in use, which are furthermore adapted to be folded or telescoped in a simple manner by a single individual without ,need for special equipment, and which form a neat and compact substantially enclosed unit when not in use.

It is, therefore, a more specific object of my present invention to provide an improved retractable bleacher assemblage which obviates all of the disadvantages heretofore attendant devices of this general type.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved unitary bleacher structure having a series of interconnected seating rows comfortably spaced and arranged in tiers with foot rests between adjacent rows when distended, and adapted to be quickly and easily telescoped or folded to compact nested arrangement with minimum effort when desired.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved folding bleacher assemblage composed of relatively few simple parts which may be readily manufactured and assembled to provide a unit of exceptional strength and durability adapted to accommodate extremely heavy loads when in use.

Still another specific object of this invention is to provide an improved and highly ecient bleacher structure embodying retractile seats carried on parallel vertically spaced horizontal members cooperable with their supports through rollers in a novel manner to prevent binding and insure easy operation.

An additional specific object of my present invention is to provide an improved retractable bleacher assemblage wherein the seat carrying members are supported by a series of uprights mounted on floor engaging rollers for easy movement toward and away from each other, the rollers being so formed and constructed as to permit maximum retraction of the seat supporting uprights, and novel guide means being provided for the uprights to facilitate movement thereof without need for special guide tracks, rails or the like.

A further specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary bleacher seating structure wherein the seats and foot boards are adapted to be readily retracted or folded to compact nested condition occupying minimum floor space when not in use, and adapted to be quickly and easily opened by a novice to provide for maximum seating capacity when desired, simple and effective means being provided for maintaining the seats 2,706,835 Patented Apr. 26, 1955 ICC and their supporting structure in open or distended position when in use.

These and other specific objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several features constituting the present inmprovement, and of the mode of constructing and of utilizing retractable bleachers embodying the invention, may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the bleacher unit with most of the seats in fully distended position but with a few of the front seats partially retracted, the seats being shown fully folded in dot-and-dash lines;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the lowest and foremost footboard and seat taken directly adjacent to a fragment of the supporting structure therefor;

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged horizontal section through two of the intermediate supporting uprights, taken along the line 3 3 of ig. 1 and with the seat removed and a fragment of the footboard shown in dot-and-dash lines;

Fig. 4 is another enlarged vertical section through an intermediate footboard and seat taken directly adjacent to a fragment of the supporting structure therefor;

Fig. 5 is a likewise enlarged vertical section through one of the top and rear seats and also taken directly adjacent to a fragment of the supporting structure therefor;

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged fragmentary part sectional View of a portion of the seat supporting structure, taken along the irregular line 6 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the seat supporting structure of Fig. 4, taken along the line 7 7;

Fig. 8 is another similarly enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the seat supporting structure of Fig. 2, taken along the line 8 8 thereof;

Fig. 9 is a still further enlarged transverse section through a fragment of the leg guide, taken along the line 9 9 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 10 is another enlarged fragmentary side view of the front caster and brake and locking device;

Fig. ll is a likewise enlarged front view of the front caster and brake mechanism;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the partially distended bleacher assemblage taken immediately above the transverse reinforcing members and parallel motion leg guiding mechanism;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged top view of a fragment of the leg guiding structure; and

Fig. 14 is a similarly enlarged front view of the fragment of the leg guide as shown in Fig. 13.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as being advantageously applicable to bleachers, having a certain number of rows of seats and especially adapted for use in gymnasiums and the like by sports spectators and adapted for attachment to a wall in a particular manner, it is not desired or intended to thereby unnecessarily limit the scope or restrict the utility thereof by virtue of such specic disclosure; and it is furthermore contemplated that certain specic descriptive terms used herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, the foldable seat assemblage shown therein as embodying the invention comprises, in general, successive transverse rows of relatively foldable upright supports including rear supports 20, intermediate supports 21, 21 and front supports 22, the respective rows of supports being of gradually decreasing heights; rollers 23, 23 mounted near the tops of the respective upright supports 21, 21 of each intermediate row as will hereinafter be more fully described; horizontally elongated carrier members 24, 24 movable horizontally along the respective rollers 23, 23 of the intermediate rows and a carrier member 25 mounted on the front or lowest support 22 as will likewise hereafter more fully appear; and seats 26, 26 mounted upon the respective intermediate rows of carrier members 24, 24 with a seat 27 being mounted on the rear or highest row of supports 20 and a seat 28 being mounted on the front or lowest row of carrier members 25.

As shown, the rear or highest row of upright supports is stationarily rigidly mounted in any well known manner to a suitable supporting structure such as a wall and the uprights 20, 21, 21', 22 of each successive row are iirmly interconnected by means of transverse braces 31, 32, 32', 33 respectively, with the intermediate rows of supports 21, 21 and the lowest row 22 being rollably mounted on wheels 34, 34', 35 respectively for movement relative to the stationary row 29 and relative to each other. As indicated, the seat carrying members 24, 24' are movable horizontally along the respective rollers 23, 23' of the intermediate rows; and to guide the several carrier members in their horizontal movement, the supports 20, 21, 21' of the higher rows are provided with rigid guide means in the form of forwardly extending guide members 36, 37, 37' respectively, each horizontally alined with the rollers of the next adjacent lower row and being cooperable with the carrier member thereof to guide the same and maintain it in horizontal alinement, the carrier members 2S of the lowest row being guided in their movement toward and away from the adjacent row by a guide member 38 carried by the lowest intermediate row 21 in a manner to be hereinafter more fully described.

To minimize the possibility of binding during folding and unfolding of the bleacher seats and to provide a more rigid and durable assemblage, the rollers 23, 23' xedly journalled near the top of the respective rows of supports 21, 21' are each composed of a set of horizontally spaced and axially alined rollers as shown in Figs. 3 to 5; and each of the guide members 36, 37, 37', 38 have other sets of horizontally spaced and axially alined rollers 39, 40, 40', 41 respectively journalled therein for coaction with their respective carriers 24, 24' 25. While the seat 27 of the highest row is rigidly secured directly to the upper end of its supports 20 in any suitable manner, the seats 26, 26', 28 are rigidly secured to the forward ends of their respective carriers 24, 24', 25 and project upwardly therefrom above the upper ends of the respective upright supports 21, 21', 22 with a foot rest or board 44, 45, 46 being carried by each higher row of supports forwardly of and beneath the seat thereof above the respective carriers 24, 24', 25, the foot rests 45', 46 being mounted directly upon the guide members 37', 38 of the respective supports 21' and the foot rests 44, 45 being mounted upon the respective carrier members 24 of the other respective rows of supports 21', and to insure clearance and permit maximum retraction of the movable seats and their associated supports, the rigid guide members 36, 37, 37', 33 and the respective adjacent carrier supporting rollers 23, 23' are all spaced from the tops of the respective higher supports 2t), 21, 21' of each pair as shown in Fig. 1 to permit passage of the seat carrying members, foot rests and seats therebetween.

To enhance the stability of the intermediate upright supports 21, 21', these supports are provided with lower horizontal wheel carrying members 48, 48' respectively, each having a spaced pair of the respective wheels 34, 34' journalled thereon; and these sets of supporting wheels and their respective carrying members are preferably mounted along the transverse frame braces 32, 32' in staggered relationship as shown in Fig. 12 to enable maximum retraction of the seating structure. Although the lower rows of supports 21, 21', 22 are each iirmly interconnected as hereinabove described by means of transverse braces, it is also preferable to provide means for causing the adjacent rows to remain parallel to each other during bodily movement thereof relative to the highest row 20; and for such purpose, I provide a lazytong arrangement. As used herein, the term lazytong is intended to define a pair of crossed pivotally connected members; and as shown particularly in Figs. 12 and 13 the instant lazytong structure preferably comprises a pair of crosspieces 49, 50 medially pivotally interconnected at 51 and coacting with adjacent rows of the transverse braces 32, 32', 33 respectively, one end of each crosspiece 49, 50 being fixedly pivotally mounted at 52 on adjacent braces and the other end of each cross piece slidably pivotally coacting with elongated slots 53 formed in the braces remote from the xed pivots 52 to thereby permit relative bodily movement of the rows while maintaining them in parallelism. To retain the rows of supports and the seats carried thereby in a given position, simple brake means may be conveniently provided on the lowest row of supports 22 for cooperation with the wheels 35 as shown in Figs. l0 and ll, such means comprising a lever 55 pivotally mounted at one end as at 56 to the support 22 and having a wheel engaging brake shoe 57 secured thereto, the lever being resiliently urged toward the wheel 35 by a spring 58 or the like to effectively prevent rotation of the wheel 35 through its peripheral contact with the shoe 57, and a gripping and manipulating chain 59 secured to the free end of the lever 55.

While the seats 26, 26', 27, 2S may assume any desired form, it is desirable to provide each approximately horizontal seating board 62, 63, 63', 64 with a vertically depending front closure board 65, 66, 66', 67 respectively so as to substantially enclose the unit when in retracted position; and the seat forming boards may conveniently be secured to inverted L-shaped angle irons 68, 68', 68" which in turn may be securely welded to the respective rear support 20 and carriers 24, 24', 25. The rollers 23, 23' may be suitably journalled in brackets or plates 69, 69' respectively rigidly secured, as by welding, to the upper portion of the respective supports 21, 21' as clearly shown in Figs. 3 to 7; and the rearwardly extending seat carrying members 24, 24', 25 may consist of tubular members longitudinally grooved or slotted on opposite sides to receive the respective rollers 23, 23' and 39, 40, 40', 4l, The foot boards 44, 45 of the higher rows may be secured directly through spacers 77 to their respective carrier members 24 for movement therewith; and the lower rows of foot rests 45', 46 are secured to the respective forwardly projecting rigid guide members 37', 38 by means of bolts or the like, the guide members being in the form of angle irons with the respective foot boards resting on and secured to the upper anges thereof above the respective carriers. While all of the guide members 36, 37, 37' may be secured directly to their respective upright supports by welding or the like, the lowest carrier guide members 38 preferably consist of forwardly extending rigid guide arms 70 carrying the members 38 for longitudinal movement therealong to permit complete retraction of the lowermost seat, the carrier members 25 being formed with an upper projection 71 adapted to coact with the foot board 46 to pull the board 46 and its mounting member 38 to open position when the seats are expanded. The upright supports 20, 21, 21' 22 as well as the transverse braces 32, 32', 33 may also be formed of tubular stock or of angle irons welded together as shown in Fig. 9;

`and additional transverse angle iron braces 72, 72' may also be provided for the respective uprights 21, 21' to add rigidity. While the supporting wheels 34, 34' 35 may be entirely suflicient on relatively small assemblages, it may sometimes be desirable to provide additional transversely staggered wheels 73, 73' 74 on the respective bracing members 32, 32', 33 as shown; and any desired number of the toggle means or lazytong bars or links 49, 50 for maintaining the rows of supports in parallel relation may be provided depending upon the size of the unit.

In actual use and operation, the improved bleacher unit is first properly installed by merely rigidly and iirmly securing the rear or highest row of supports 20 to a wall 30 or the like in a suitable manner as by means of brackets or braces 75 With the wheels 34, 34', 35 and 72, 72', 73 resting on the floor 76 as shown in Fig. 1. In folded or retracted position, the upright supports 20, 21, 21' are all compactly nested closely adjacent to each other and the seats 26, 26', 28 are fully retracted so as to be disposed approximately one above the other as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 1, the respective foot rests 44, 4S, 45', 46 being disposed between its adjacent upright support and its adjacent forward seat. To open the unit for use, it is only necessary to raise the lever 55 about its pivot 56 by means of the chain 59, thereby releasing the brake shoe 57 from peripheral contact with the front wheel 35, and to pull the lowest seat and its carrying and supporting structure away from the rear supports and adjacent wall. When the successive rows of supports and the respective seats are fully expanded, it is only necessary to release the lever 55 whereupon the lever and brake shoe 57 will be pulled toward the periphery of the wheel 35 under tension of the spring 58 to thereby lock the front or lower row and the entire assemblage in expanded position. To again close the unit, the brake is again released as above described, and the lowest row may then be pushed back into the folded dotanddash position in an obvious manner.

From the foregoing detailed description, it is apparent that the present invention contemplates provision of a unitary retractable bleacher assemblage which is extremely simple but exceptionally strong and durable in construction and which possesses maximum capacity when expanded While requiring minimum floor space when retracted and not in use. The improved device may obv1- ously be folded or expanded in a quick and easy manner without the aid of special tools or equipment, and the brake and locking device cooperable with the front wheel 35 is extremely effective in maintaining the assemblage in either folded or expanded condition. The seat carrier members are readily movable relative to the adjacent supports by reason of the rollers carried by these supports and the next adjacent rear guide members; and to limit the travel of the carrier members on the rollers, stops 78, 79 may be readily provided on opposite sides of the -several carriers, the stops being secured to the tubular carrier members at any desired locality along the respective slots thereof. By reason of the rigidity of the assemblage and the effective manner in which the several seat carrying members are guided, coupled with the tog gle means or lazytongs for maintaining the rows in parallelism, a device is provided in which no guide tracks are necessary for the supporting wheels, but to provide a somewhat more attractive unit and protect the wheels from possible tampering when the assemblage is in retracted or folded condition, aprons 80 may be provided at either side of the end supports as shown in Fig. 1. All of the parts of the improved device are readily assembled for inspection, replacement and/or repair; and to permit access to the toggle arm attachment means, it has been found desirable to provide access openings 81, 82 along one side of each of the transverse braces carrying the toggle means. The improved foldable bleacher assemblage has gone into actual commercial use, and has proven highly successful and satisfactory in meeting every test. Various parts of the assemblage may obviously be manufactured of angle irons and the like, and may be readily assembled and installed in a convenient manner at relatively low cost.

It should, of course, be understood that it is not desired or intended to limit this invention to the exact details of construction, or to the precise mode of use, herein shown and described since various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to pesois skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.

c aim:

l. A foldable seat assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, rollers mounted near the top of the supports of each intermediate row, rigid guide means carried by the supports of each higher row in horizontal alinement with the rollers of the adjacent lower row, a carrier member movable horizontally along each of said rollers relative to and in alinement with the rigid guide means of the adjacent supports of greater height, and a seat mounted upon each row of said carrier members.

2. A foldable seat assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, rollers mounted near the top of the supports of each intermediate row, rigid guide members carried by the supports of each higher row in horizontal alinement with the rollers of the adjacent lower row, a carrier member movable horizontally along each of said rollers relative to and in alinement with the rigid guide members of the adjacent supports of greater height, a seat mounted upon each row of said carrier members above the upper ends of the supports of said rows, and a foot rest carried by the rigid guide member of each higher row of supports forwardly of and beneath the seat thereof.

3. A foldable seat assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, rollers xedly journalled near the top of the supports of each intermediate row, rigid guide members projecting forwardly from the supports of each higher row and having other rollers journalled thereon at the projecting portion thereof, a carrier member movable horizontally along both the adjacent fixedly journalled and said other rollers, and a seat mounted upon each row of said carrier members.

4. A foldable seat assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, rollers vixedly journalled near the top of the supports of each intermediate row, rigid guide members projecting forwardly from the supports of each higher row and having other rollers journalled thereon at the projecting portion thereof, a carrier member movable horizontally along both the adjacent iixedly journalled and said other rollers, a seat mounted upon each row of said carrier members, a foot rest mounted upon the rigid members of some of the rows of supports above said other rollers, and other foot rests mounted directly upon the carrier members of the other rows of supports and movable therewith.

5. A foldable seat assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, a set of spaced rollers xedly journalled in horizontal alinement near the top of the supports of each intermediate row, rigid guide members projecting forwardly from the supports of each higher row toward and in longitudinal alinement with the rollers of the next adjacent lower supports, said rigid guide member having other sets of spaced rollers journalled thereon in horizontal alinement, a carrier member movable horizontally along both the adjacent xedly journalled and said other sets of rollers, and a seat mounted upon each row of said carrier members above the upper ends of the supports of said rows.

6. A foldable seat assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, means for securing the highest of said rows in fixed position, bracing means for transversely firmly interconnecting the upright supports of the respective rows, a transversely extending seat carried by each row of said supports, means interconnecting said successive rows of supports for permitting relative movement thereof toward and away from the highest of said rows, a lazytong having a pair of medially pivoted links interconnecting adjacent rows of said supports, corresponding ends of which are fixedly pivoted to the bracing means of adjacent rows of said relatively movable supports and the opposite ends of which are pivoted to and slidable to a limited extent along said bracing means to permit limited movement of said links in a horizontal plane and to retain said rows of supports in parallel alinement while permitting limited relative movement thereof upon movement of the lowest row of supports, and a normally active manually releasable brake pivotally suspended from said lowest row of supports to retain the same in any desired position.

7. A foldable tiered assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, means for securing the highest of said rows in fixed position, transverse horizontal braces rmly interconnecting the upright supports of the respective rows, a transversely extending spectator receiving member carried by each row of said supports, means interconnecting said successive rows of supports for permitting relative movement thereof toward and away from the fixed row, a lazytong having a pair of medially pivoted links interconnecting each set of adjacent rows of said supports, corresponding ends of which are xedly pivoted to the braces of adjacent rows of said relatively movable supports and the opposite ends of which are pivoted to and slidable to a limited extent along said braces to permit limited movement of said links in horizontal planes and to retain said rows of supports in parallel alinement while permitting limited relative adjustment thereof upon movement of the lowest row of supports, and a normally active manually releasable brake carried by said lowest row of supports to retain the same in any desired position of adjustment.

8. A foldable tiered assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, means for securing the highest of said rows in fixed position, transverse horizontal braces firmly interconnecting the upright supports of the respective rows near the lower ends thereof, a transversely extending at platform carried by the upper portion of each row of said supports, means interconnecting said successive rows of supports for permitting relative movement thereof toward and away from the fixed row, and at least one pair of medially pivotally connected links interposed between and cooperating with the transverse braces of each pair of adjacent successive rows of supports, said links each having corresponding ends xedly pivoted to the transverse 7 8 braces of the adjacent rows and each having the pposite References Cited inthe le of this patent ends thereof pivoted to and slidable to a limite extent along said braces to permit limited pivotal movement of UNITED STATES PATENTS said links in horizontal planes and to retain said rows of 686,777 Snook Nov. 19, 1901 supports in parallel alinement at all times While permit- D 2,l47,564 Vance Feb. 14, 1939 ting limited relative movement thereof. 2,183,056 Albach et al Dec. 12, 1939 

